an introduction to google+ for business. - HubSpot

IN

TR

O

DU

CT O

RY

AN INTRODUCTION TO GOOGLE+ FOR BUSINESS. A Setup & Strategy Guide for Marketers

o

A publication of

2

an introduction to google+ for business

IS THIS EBOOK RIGHT FOR ME? Not quite sure if this ebook is right for you? See the below description to determine if your level matches the content you are about to read.

3


an introduction to google+ for business. Jay Acunzo leads content strategy

INTRODUCTORY

and production at HubSpot, where he

THIS RESOURCE

oversees the team of writers behind

Introductory content is for marketers who are new to the subject. This content typically includes step-by-step instructions on how to get started with this aspect of

the company’s award-winning blog

inbound marketing and learn its fundamentals. After reading it, you will be able to

and 300+ ebooks and guides. Jay

execute basic marketing tactics related to the topic.

previously worked at Google on the Google+ and AdWords teams and has helped build the content strategy

INTERMEDIATE Intermediate content is for marketers who are familiar with the subject but have only basic experience in executing strategies and tactics on the topic. This content typically covers the fundamentals and moves on to reveal more complex functions and examples. After reading it, you will feel comfortable leading projects with this

Written By Jay acunzo

Follow me on twitter. @JAY_ZO

aspect of inbound marketing.

behind several Boston startups. An overly-proud Italian, Jay’s been known to cook up a mean marinara.

Anum Hussain is an Inbound Content Strategist at HubSpot, where she manages content plans for various

ADVANCED

company goals. She strategizes

Advanced content is for marketers who are, or want to be, experts on the subject. In it, we walk you through advanced features of this aspect of inbound marketing

which content types, formats, and

and help you develop complete mastery of the subject. After reading it, you will feel

ideas should be implemented for

ready not only to execute strategies and tactics, but also to teach others how to be

each content plan, and then works

successful.

on the execution and analysis of Written By ANUM HUSSAIN

Follow me on twitter. @ANUMMEDIA

each. Anum was recognized in B2B Marketing Magazine as one of ten 2013 Rising Stars.

4


CONTENTS. 05

Introduction


Introduction.

S

ince its inception 18 months ago, nearly 50% of companies rate

Google+ as important to their business. And just last year 15% of marketers acquired a customer from this social channel.

06

How to Set Up Your Google+ Page

But it’s no wonder why. Google+ has attracted 500 million registered users, growing into the second largest social network as of January

12 18

5 Quick Tips for Managing Your Google+ Page How Google Search Gets More Personal (& More Powerful)

28

Google+ Vocabulary: A Quick Reference Glossary

32

Conclusion

2013. With its various redesigns, feature add-ons, and integrations with other Google products, it’s growing into a hub of marketing value. When Google+ was first rolled out to businesses in November 2011, its

VP of Product Brad Horowitz told the New York Times, “I expect brands will notice this and will build marketing plans around it.” His statement reinforces the business potential of Google’s social network.

This ebook will cover the basics of how to setup and manage your own Google+ Page. We’ll shed light on Google’s personalization capabilities, and even provide a brief glossary of all there is to know about Google+.

5

6


Chapter 1

how to set up & manage your google+ business page “I Expect brands will notice this and will build marketing plans around it.”


5 Steps to Building a Google+ Business Page Google+ Business Pages allow brands to gracefully interact with a

growing audience, but the benefits extend well beyond plus.google.com. Unlike Facebook today, Google+ pages and posts can help you reach people beyond a social network. Its integration with various Google

products and technologies, including Google Search and YouTube, make it a highly attractive business tool.

With that in mind, here’s a visual guide to getting set up on Google+ for those who have yet to build their presence.

1

Create a Google+ Page

To create your business page, navigate to www.google.com/+/business

and click the button to the upper right reading, “Create a Google+ page.”

Bradley Horowitz, VP of Product, Google Google will prompt you to sign in with your email address. Simply sign in with your personal or work address. Google+ allows you to manage

your page just like a Facebook Page — through your own account, with the ability to add other managers. We’ll cover how to do so later in this chapter.

7

8


2

Pick a Category


3

Add Basic Information

Select the category your business or organization falls under from the

Next you’ll need to add the basic information about your business or

to select a subcategory within your industry.

range appropriate to interact with your page.

five main options. Clicking on one of the five options will then prompt you

Selecting the proper category helps Google understand basic information about your business. This then helps Google surface the right content from a business or organization for various search queries by your potential customers.

organization. This includes your company name, website, and the age

9

10


4

Customize Your Public Profile

While basic information will help a user identify your business page, you’ll want to include richer detail about your brand. This includes:


5

Share Content and Complete Your Profile

Once you’re ready to share content, simply click on the “Posts” option in the top navigation of your page.

• Your “story,” which Google defines as the 10 words that describe your page best. This is essentially your tagline, displayed as the description in search for anyone who discovers your page.

• Public contact information that will help users reach out to your business.

• Profile image that will appear every time you interact on Google+ with +1s or comments.

• Cover photo that appears boldly as the main entrance to your

By clicking the “About” option in the top navigation, you can edit your profile to include key information that helps users discover

your page through search, and understand more about your brand.

11

12


Chapter 2

5 quick tips for managing your google+ business page “We want to help you make the same kinds of lasting connections with your customers online the way you can in real life.” Dennis Troper, Product Management Director, Google+ Pages


5 Quick Tips for Managing Your Google+ Business Page At the most basic level, the preceding five steps for building your

business page are all you need to do to get your page launched. But as any smart marketers know, the “basics” aren’t typically enough.

Intelligent marketers understand the importance of optimizing their page to make it not only more engaging but also more valuable and effective for your fans and customers.

With that in mind, here are five tips for helping you manage your Google+ Business Page.

1

Preview Page As Customers Would

To see how your Google+ Page appears to the public, toggle your view

using the “View profile as” feature in the top navigation of your page. You can also type in a specific user’s name to see how your page appears for that user.

13

14


2

Invite Others to Help Manage Your Page

Invite team members to help manage your Google+ Page. Anyone

who can help answer questions, share content, or monitor should be welcomed.

For example at HubSpot, in addition to our social media team, members


3

Share Content Directly to Communities

Google Communities are an active and engaging place for sharing

content. They work just like LinkedIn Groups. You can share content into

these communities right from your Google+ Page by adding them via the plus (+) feature in a status update.

from our content team are invited to manage the page for when they need to research and write more content about Google+.

While communities are an important and engaging place to share content, be sure you don’t use this feature to spam these communities. Only share what is truly relevant and beneficial to these communities. Even better, try starting back and forth discussion. Social is perfect for interacting like you would face-to-face.

15

16


4

Include Hashtags to Make Posts Discoverable


5

Employ Visuals in Your Content Sharing

Google+ automatically adds hashtags to posts based on the content

Google+ is a highly visual network. Aside from the colossal cover image

to remove those added for you) to help bucket your content into

sizes, and styles. The Google+ algorithm then goes to work to present

of the update. You can also include your own hashtags (or choose

conversations happening in the Google+ space around that same topic.

on your business page, it allows you to share images of varying formats, content in a multi-column design that adapts visual presentation based on screen size and orientation.

Vic Gundotra, senior vice president of engineering at Google, told

TechCrunch, “We’re fixing a long-standing problem with these feeds, they’re flat. Other sites let you scroll through posts that have been

shared with you. You can’t go through and read on more topics. You can’t go deeper on an interest on topic.”

17

18


Chapter 3

How Google search gets more personal (& more powerful) “Links may be the foundation on which the Internet was built, but they are not its future. “Likes” have become the new links that drive our connections online.” Edward J. Black, President and CEO of the Computer and Communications Industry Association


Google+ and the Quest for Relevancy Vic Gundotra, Google Senior Vice President of Engineering and the

lead on all things social at the company, has long held that Google+ is

not about creating a new social network but about pivoting all of Google (a giant company with dozens of products) around people. That’s a tall

task, but it’s all in the name of something us marketers know quite well: relevancy!

Relevancy starts and ends with having context about the person, place, object, or situation. What’s relevant to you, after all, is not necessarily relevant to your colleague. You each have distinct sets of interests,

biases, perspectives, and desires. But without the Google+ features that tie into search results, Google search was more about the coding of an algorithm than the nuances of a searcher.

So, how can you make your business and your content appear in more

relevant, human ways to your prospects, leads, and customers? We’ve created this list in order from quickest and easiest to the most involved and advanced.

19

20


5 Ways to Personalize Your Business with Google+ So, how can you make your business and your content appear in more

relevant, human ways to your prospects, leads, and customers? We’ve

created this list in order from quickest and easiest to the most involved.

1


2

Set Up Google Authorship

Google Authorship is a “must have” feature of Google+ for any inbound marketer, as we discussed back when it rolled in 2011. Since so much

of the success behind inbound involves blogging, think of Authorship as a way to make Google search results reflect not only your blog’s actual text, but you, the author and marketer.

Open a Google+ Page

Authorship, at its core, links your name and byline on your blog to your

This tip might be worthy of an eye roll for two reasons: It requires

Google+ personal profile. When the feature is enabled in your Google+

obvious statement to make when this entire ebook is about using

profile photo and name.

opening yet another social media account, and it’s perhaps the most Google+. But there’s a reason we wrote out the steps for starting a Google+ Page in this ebook!

Just by opening a Google+ profile, you are claiming more precious real estate on the Google search result page for your brand name.

And because this is a Google product, the search result is beautifully

optimized to reflect the profile information that, again, you control. Simply edit your Google+ profile under the “Tagline” section of the About page, and you can dictate in two seconds what appears on Google search results.

account, search results relevant to your blog posts will append your

21

22


There are myriad benefits to setting up Authorship: • Improve clickthrough rates by standing out in the search results with your thumbnail and byline.

• Strengthen awareness of your brand (an alternative to expensive, tough-to-track “branding” campaigns like banners or billboards).

• Support existing customers and leads while enticing new visitors. Those who recognize you will immediately gravitate towards

something they know because it’s more relevant than a faceless

link. Those who do not will appreciate the more human approach to business in today’s consumer-led world.

• Establish authority in the industry for certain keywords and topics.

• And of course, protect your content. Whether you’ve established your expertise or you’re putting yourself out there for the first time, the content will be undeniably yours because it’s tied to your profile.

To get started on Authorship in a matter of minutes, follow the step-bystep instructions in our blog post here.


3

Add the +1 Button to Your Site

Ah, the +1 button. If you’re an avid blog reader, you’ve likely seen a

+1 button or two sitting along the row of usual suspects next to every

online article. You know the drill: Facebook Likes and tweets each get

lots of action; LinkedIn shares come next; maybe email after that; and, tucked away on the Island of Misfit Social Toys, the +1 button sits with StumbleUpon and a few logos you don’t quite recognize.

But here’s where that all-important idea of “context” matters again.

Google would love to tell you which articles are popular among all online users when they serve you a search results page. They’d love to point out the absolute best and most popular how-to post whenever you

search for “get more blog subscribers” on Google. And you’d love to find that article and consume it, since, after all, that’s the best of the best. However, Google won’t tell you the total number of shares an article

receives on every social network. It doesn’t tell you what’s trending on

Twitter under “get more blog subscribers,” and Lord knows, Google will never, ever partner with Facebook to tell you how many Likes various articles receive.

23

24


So the +1 button is Google search’s ultimate litmus test for what is

trending among a general audience. In addition to showing you whether any of your personal Google+ connections +1’d an article (if you use

Google+), the results page will flag which articles - regardless of rank have been popular and +1’d the most.

This is about showcasing stamps of approval, using humans (not robots) as the deciding factor. Furthermore, our analysis of over 5,000 websites revealed that websites using Google’s +1 button get 3.5x the Google+ visits.

To add the +1 button to your site, see Google’s instructions here. We recommend sending this to someone who is familiar with the code of

your site. For a more marketer-friendly approach, rely on your current

blog’s social sharing app and switch on the +1. You can also use a thirdparty social sharing widget from companies like AddThis, ShareThis, or Shareaholic.

Websites Using Google’s +1 Button Get 3.5x the Google+ Visits. Based on an analysis of 5,000 HubSpot customers.


No +1 Button

With +1 Button

25

26


4

Start Posting (Not Spamming) on Google+

Let’s tear the band-aid off fast here: Google wants you to post to

Google+. Google is a business and, while they can be a business that’s easy to admire, they ultimately have agendas to push.


The good news is the principles of sound SEO strategy apply to

Google+, so you won’t need to reinvent the wheel necessarily. In other words, backlinks matter a great deal. On Google+, this means that

providing an audience cause to share and link back to your content can help elevate your Google+ profile.

But before we start knocking down the doors of the Googleplex (and

Search On

Google’s doors SHOULD do, of course), let’s take a step back and

Despite the cries of so many misguided pundits, search is far from

demanding free food — which is exactly what anyone knocking down understand something beautiful.

“dead.” In fact, search has a better pulse on the land of living than it

Google treats Google+ links just like links to other websites.

SEO specialists from big organizations, it’s run by context, people, and

We as marketers should all be celebrating this. We control our own

destiny for how we rank on Google that much more. SEO centers on two main ideas: relevancy and authority. Relevancy can be boiled down to

whether or not your page and content relates to the user’s search term. But authority can be tricky. Authority typically means PageRank,

Google’s legendary method for understanding which links matter most to rank near the top. If other sites link often to your page, that page is more likely to rank well on Google.com results.

Back to Google+ for a second: don’t just start posting everything you

create to Google+, as Google’s algorithm is much smarter than to count blatant attempts like this. Instead, Google is giving bonus points (so

to speak) to Google+ profiles that post often, share and connect with

active, influential Google+ profiles, and generally use Google+ as a bona fide social network.

ever has before. Rather than being run by robots or giant teams of personalized, powerful results.

27

28


5


Embed Google+ Posts

Google+ allows users to embed content posted to the social network right onto a website or blog (or any online site really).

According to the Google+ blog, “With embedded posts, site owners can now add your public Google+ posts to their web pages — as a primary source, for example, or to highlight your point of view. Text, photo and

media posts are all supported, and the embeds are fully interactive, so visitors can +1, comment and follow you inline.”

Embedding posts is simple, just follow these steps:

1. Find a public post on Google+. 2. Select ‘Embed post’ from the drop-down menu. 3. Copy the code that appears on the screen. 4. Paste the code into the HTML of your site. And voila! You can embed posts galore. You can see an example of how this looks on National Geographic to your right.

29

30


Chapter 4

Google+ Vocabulary: A Quick Reference Glossary “Don’t think of Google+ as yet another social site to deal with. Think of it as the only social site you have to deal with.” Mike Elgan, Founder, Writer, Columnist, and Blogger at Elgan Media


Google+ Glossary Mike Elgan, a writer, columnist, and blogger with over two million followers on Google+, explains the social network as follows:

“Instead of saying, “I’m going to write a blog post now,” or “I’m going to

send an email” or “I think I’ll tweet something” you simply say what you have to say, then decide who you’re going to say it to. “If you address it to ‘Public,’ it’s a blog post.

If you address it to ‘Your Circles,’ it’s a tweet.

If you address it to your ‘My Customers’ Circle, it’s a business newsletter. If you address it to a single person, it can be a letter to your mother. “I’d say this is pretty revolutionary.” With that perspective in mind, let’s dive into some of the terms he references, as well as others, to help you understand the various features available on Google+

31

32



Google+ Key Terms & Features +1 Button: The equivalent of the Facebook Like button for Google+

Google+ Page: A digital platform for a business or organization to

and Google Search. A user can +1 an item shared on Google+ as well as a

share content related to their brand.

search engine result link returned by a Google search.

Google Profile: Your personal home on Google+, which allows you to Chat: A method for sending short messages to other Google+ members

share interesting work experiences, personal information, and much more.

who are also signed in to Google+.

Hangout: A platform for group video chatting and collaboration that Circle: The method of organizing connections into groups for more

is used by Google+ members, with a max participation allowance of 10

targeted sharing and better privacy.

users. Hangouts can also be broadcasted live to a public audience and automatically recorded to YouTube.

Comment: A response to a user’s Google+ post. Share: Allows you to share a message that someone else created with Community: Environments on Google+ where users can gather and

your followers (similar to a retweet on Twitter).

discuss shared interests (similar to LinkedIn Groups).

Stream: The list of real-time messages that are displayed on the Google+ Event: Fully customizable Google+ pages for inviting Google+ users and community members to a particular the event. Google+ automatically adds these events to attendee Google Calendars.

home screen and for each Circle of contacts. Google+ streams are responsive, adapting to the screen size and orientation of browsers.

33

34



Conclusion.

T

hese were the basics. Ultimately, any social media marketing

As for Google+ specifically, between a growing community of potential

involves staying up-to-date with the various features released, and it all

visitors to your site, a strong tie to SEO on Google.com, and a platform

comes back to building actual relationships with actual people. Google+

to publish, share, and interact based on shared interests, it’s easy to see

offers another forum to share relevant content and conversation.

more and more marketers developing strategies around this network.

Google’s version of a social network lets you tap into a community-based site like LinkedIn with a visual, share-happy angle like Facebook. Unfortunately for marketers stuck in the past, the internet has become an increasingly crowded cocktail party of people milling around, distracted, interacting with friends and brands alike. There’s just no room for a marketer to be lazy and stand on a soapbox in the corner shouting about his or her business. You can’t simply push content or push agendas into a place like Google+ and expect any success at all. But fortunately, you know how to work a room. You understand the need to add value by sharing helpful content, by asking questions and responding to them, and by generally being a good person to others you encounter on social networks.

And their success will come not because of the simple presence of a page, but because they’ll know that practicing inbound strategies means adding value and helping customers find what they’re truly seeking when buying: a business — YOUR business — which makes their lives better. And to that we give a big ol’ +1!

35

36


MEASURE THE IMPACT OF GOOGLE+. Start monitoring social media conversations and measuring your success on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+. Find out how through a free demo of the HubSpot social media tools.

GET A FREE DEMO OF HUBSPOT TODAY. offers.hubspot.com/demo